April - June 2018 // What have I been up to?

My days following the exams have been calm. I so badly want to update this blog, to make it mine again, but it's been hard. There were so many things on my list that I wanted to do in my one month holiday: I wanted to clear the clutter in my bedroom, reorganise my closet, donate the books I no longer read and need but truth be told, when I finally had time to myself, there was nothing more I wanted than to be home and laze around. After days of classes and college and club-meetings and part-time work and the never-ending feeling of responsibilities, I really appreciate just doing absolutely nothing. It's been feeling great, despite the fact that mum sees me as a sloth when I don't have responsibilities. She prefers me busy. :p

Movies //

• The Handmaid's Tale

Photo Credit: dutchuncle.co.uk

Part of me wishes that this series ended in the first season, leaving the ending open-ended, just as Margaret Atwood left it in the book. But a part of me is really glad that this series is renewed for Season 2, because good lord the plot just thickened and became better in a worse way. There were two episodes that made me cry, not just tears gently flowing down my cheeks but ugly cry; sobbing loudly with snot and all. I blame it on the period-hormones.

For those who are new to The Handmaid's Tale, its based on a book written by Margaret Atwood which was inspired by George Orwell's 1984. It follows the story of a woman and her experiences from a 'free' government to an autocratic religious government which came about due to environmental disasters and the rapid decrease of birth rate. The totalitarian government blamed women for the state of the country and fertile women were forced to be sexual slaves based on 'religious texts'. The government reconstructed the society to return to traditional 'religious' values which divided women into wives, marthas and handmaids. I'm already saying too much. Watch it. Besides the plot, kudos to the makers of the series because the colours, lighting, framing and pace of the movie is so beautifully made which makes the series even more heart-wrenching.

Dystopian novels and movies have a way of mirroring our current society and making things seem worse than it is, but the possibility of us heading towards that direction is high. You'll even see instances where you think, "that's already happening" or "we are heading towards that direction" and even "that can easily happen". The Handmaid's Tale just got renewed for Season 3 which means that hey, we won't be getting an ending in Season 2 after all. 

Here is the written recap for each episode on The Vulture. 

Here is the TRAILER.

And here's the BOOK REVIEW.

• Norwegian Woods

Proto Credit: Revue by Scout

This is another movie that is based on a book written by the Japanese author Haruki Murakami. Norwegian Woods is one of my favourite books of all-time and the movie was so disappointing because I felt like it focused on all the wrong things. It did have elements of the book within the movie, but I felt like it didn't capture the essence of the book, the complications of the main character's relationships and neither did it capture his thoughts well. Needless to say I didn't finish watching it. The acting is also pretty cringey, lol. I totally recommend the book though because Haruki Murakami puts words into feelings you find hard to describe.

Norwegian Wood's MOVIE TRAILER.
Norwegian Wood's BOOK REVIEW. 

• Other movies that I watched:

Incredibles 2, Ocean's 8, A Quiet Place, The Fundamentals of Caring, The Boy Downstairs, About Time, The Kissing Booth, Set It Up. Been watching lots of rom-coms. No period-hormones to blame for that, though.


Fashion & Style // 

• Amy Serrano

From Amy Serrano's YouTube

Been really into Amy Serrano lately! She's a personal stylist who has styled several big-shot artists and she's made several videos in the about finding your own style which helped me really define my style and getting rid of clothes that don't align with it! Here's her video on personal style:

↠ STYLE 101 | How To Find Your Personal Style
↠ 8 Tips For Finding Your Personal Style

I also love her makeup style which is simple yet chic:
↠ Get The Look: Gigi Hadid @ The Met Gala  (my fav!)
↠ Chatty GRWM | Edgy + Sultry Cool Tones

Her blog: pepperpout.com

Lifestyle //

• Morgan Harper Nichols

From Morgan Harper Nichol's website

A writer and artist whose work I accidentally stumbled upon and fell in love with! Her quotes:

↠ "Cling to joy, audacious, unbridled joy, that looks for light in everything. Even while you're waiting."

↠ "You may not be able to see where you're headed, but I assure you, The Lord can. And He's holding your hand. He's breathing life into every aspect of your present and future. He's shining His light even in the darkest corners of your mind. So hold tight to Him. Hold tight to His love, knowing that He will never leave you or forsake you, you are in His grip forever. No uncertainty, no broken dreams, and no fear of the future can keep you from Him. He is with you always, in all of this. Trust Him. Believe. And let Him gracefully lead you to where you need to be."

↠ "May you always pursue the narrow path, a life that calls for something more and not perfection, but fullness... Something deeper, beyond the shore."

Website: morganharpernichols.com


There's a lot more that I want to post about, but this post has been in my drafts for far too long and college resumes tomorrow so I'll post this for now. A Part 2 may or may not follow. Take care x